Rosecrans prepares for C-130 Hercules to fly again

Monica Dunn, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·2 min read

Nov. 22—After two months of the aircraft not flying, the 139th Airlift Wing flew its first C-130 Hercules on Monday. However, it will return to maintenance for further inspection after not passing its safety test.

The Air Force Air Mobility Command issued the grounding order on Sept. 27 after a maintenance crew discovered a persistent hydraulic fluid leak in the C-130 Hercules propellers. The Air Force collected all of the good propellers across the country to prioritize which wings get the fixed propellers first.

Col. John Cluck, the commander of the 139th Airlift Wing at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, told News-Press NOW in October that he anticipated the base would get its first set of propellers closer to Christmastime and hoped to have one aircraft in the air by the new year.

"Nobody wants to be back in the air more than we do," Cluck said. "We just like say, if Santa could bring me four great good props, best Christmas present ever."

However, Rosecrans Air National Guard Base received good blades earlier than it anticipated. On Monday, maintenance crew members at the base removed the good blades from bases that cannot be used any longer. The blades will go on different bases and then can be used on Rosecrans' 10 C-130 Hercules.

The base currently has one C-130 Hercules with all approved propellers. National Guard members conducted a Functional Check Flight on Monday with that aircraft. The flight is part of the safety check to make sure everything is working on the aircraft.

The C-130 Hercules took off for the first time in two months just after noon on Monday. It spent about 45 minutes in the air before it landed with aircraft rescue and firefighting crews waiting. At some point during the flight, one of the C-130 Hercules' engines failed, according to Rosecrans Memorial Airport manager Julius Rice.

The 139th Airlift Wing's spokesperson Senior Master Sgt. Michael Crane told News-Press NOW that the aircraft did not pass its Functional Check Flight. The wing's maintenance department will troubleshoot the issue before it can be tested again.

Once it passes the safety test, the 139th Airlift Wing will be able to train on that C-130 Hercules while it exchanges the propellers on its other nine aircraft.